


The Case of the Wayward Wolf

by ssklarolinewrites



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: An old fashioned murder mystery, F/M, set in Mystic Falls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-08-19 08:16:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8197499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssklarolinewrites/pseuds/ssklarolinewrites
Summary: A prominent resident of Mystic Falls is murdered. Can Caroline find the killer before they strike again?





	1. Chapter 1

Trees swayed dangerously to and fro, groaning ominously. Colored leaves flew across the ground in sheets, covering the grass. Flowers were beheaded violently. The lawn was already littered with refuse and it was only just beginning. Rain pelted the windows, sometimes viciously, drowning out conversation as it battered the windows.

What once had been perfectly manicured had been ravaged by Mother Nature. Anything not tied down was at her mercy. The wrought iron patio furniture had been taken for a ride. Chairs slid along the red bricks with hair raising screeches. The umbrella, turned into a projectile by a particularly nasty gust, got caught in the woods behind the house.

The sun had set well over an hour ago, but even before then the skies had been black and foreboding. The clouds were low, churning across the sky. The storm felt alive, energy coursing through its veins.

Gusts of wind had been clocked at over 80 miles per hour and Mystic Falls, Virginia would be experiencing the worst of it.

Hurricane Claudette was making her presence known.

"Bonnie," Caroline Forbes said in a fierce whisper, "you said you'd be here by now."

"I know, Care. I'm trying," she replied, eyes on the slick road in front of her.

Caroline sat down in a delicate pale gray armchair with a sigh. The formal living room was beautiful, but it hadn't seemed like anyone had been in it for months. The air was stale, but it offered privacy.

They'd been on the phone for twenty minutes already and Bonnie reminded her a number of times that she was trying to get there.

Caroline Forbes was in Mystic Falls for her friend Bonnie Bennett. It was Thanksgiving weekend and they were supposed to spend it together. Friends since Vanderbilt, the women were the best of friends, but didn't get to see each other often enough. The holiday weekend was supposed to remedy that.

It wasn't just being assigned as roommates their freshman year that brought the women together.

It was the supernatural.

Spring break sophomore year, Caroline, Bonnie, and two of their friends went to New Orleans for Spring Break. It should have been fun, sun, guys, and French Quarter excess.

What followed was Caroline Forbes being turned into the undead. She had become a vampire, the result of a series of misfortunate events. Afraid of being near her friends or telling her family, Caroline withdrew into herself. Recognizing the signs she'd learned from her Grams as a child, Bonnie confided that she was a witch and knew what Caroline was. The tears shed were cathartic.

And while vampires and witches were naturally antagonistic, their friendship was made stronger because there were no secrets between them. Bonnie told Caroline everything she knew about vampires to help her, even providing a daylight ring. It was a difficult time, but Caroline came out stronger for it and the traumatic experience brought Bonnie back to the magic she'd been neglecting.

Bonnie Bennett was a native of Mystic Falls and invited Caroline to spend Thanksgiving with her and her father. Since her own father had passed and her mom had to work and also since Thanksgiving was a time for family and Bonnie was nothing if not family, Caroline had accepted the invitation.

The drive from Atlanta wasn't too bad, but there were a lot of cars on the road. Most were headed away from where the storm was expected to hit though. She left with plenty of time and rather than going to the Bennett house, Bonnie told her to meet elsewhere to save time.

It was Bonnie who had a harder time. Her flight from Chicago had been delayed due to the storm. She was driving to the Lockwood mansion where she would meet Caroline, trying to outrace the wind. Fortunately, the evacuation routes all led west, which was the direction she was going so the roads hadn't been closed.

Tyler Lockwood hosted a party the night before Thanksgiving every year. Since his own parents had died, leaving him very wealthy, the parties had gotten bigger and better. A hundred guests would usually gather and the hurricane wasn't keeping Tyler down. Anyone who made it to the house was welcome to wait out the storm he had tweeted out. Multiple kegs had been delivered and the freezer was full of frozen pizza. Unfortunately, only a few people made it through so far.

"Tell me again who's there and I'll tell you embarrassing stories about them from high school," Bonnie teased, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Caroline smirked and kept her voice low. "Tyler invited me in with his shirt off and what was probably his seventh beer in his hand. He's good looking, but he knows it and is kind of a creep."

"In high school he wore a do-rag," Bonnie told her, which made her laugh, able to picture it perfectly.

"He called me babe and told me I could use his shower and since he believed in water conservation, we should shower together," she said with a roll of her eyes. It had taken everything to not tell him off, but she was being gracious if it killed her. Maybe she should just kill him and call it a day. He was Bonnie's friend though and she was waiting for Bonnie.

"Ugh," Bonnie groaned.

Caroline's peripheral vision was caught by a pair of guests as they walked past the living room. She'd met them briefly earlier. "Matt and Nicky." He seemed sweet, but she shot daggers at Caroline.

"Vicky," Bonnie corrected. "Matt's a great guy. They're brother and sister. I haven't seen her in years, but if she hasn't changed either, watch your back."

The big house felt too empty. The walls creaked and groaned with the wind. Branches brushed against windows, startling Caroline.

A new deluge came through, making it difficult to hear Bonnie. Water pelted the glass panes, creating a cacophony with the other noises.

In dark jeans and a bright blue peplum top, Caroline was ready for the party…that no one had been able to get to except for a drunk lech, a sketchy woman, and a few others.

In her ear, Caroline heard a loud snapping sound and then a devastating crash.

"Bonnie!?" she leaned forward, willing her friend to be ok.

"Oh my God," Bonnie said, shaken up as came to a stop. "A tree…"

"Are you ok?"

"I think so," she said, in shock. Her car hadn't been hit, but a tree fell, partially coming into the road. It also pulled down wires and caused sparks. The headlights picked up the terrifying scene as her windshield wipers put up a valiant fight, but they were losing.

"Can you make it home?" Caroline was desperate to see her friend, but her friend's safety was so much more important. There was no question Bonnie had to find a safe place to ride out the hurricane.

Bonnie's breath shuddered as she looked around. "Yeah." A car had been on the road ahead of her, a beacon that she wasn't the only crazy one, but it had made it through before the tree fell. Now she was alone and her dad's house was only 2 miles away.

"Bonnie Bennett, get yourself home and then call me right away. When this is over you owe me an extra large banana split…or a bottle of red wine…or both."

Putting her car in reverse, Bonnie drove through the widening puddles, trying not to hydroplane, or panic. "I'll call you. Bye."

With a worried glance and starting to gnaw her plush lower lip, Caroline clicked off her phone. It looked like she was stranded for the night with strangers in the middle of a hurricane.

Guessing she'd have to ingratiate herself to the others, Caroline stood and walked towards the kitchen, heels clicking against the hardwood floors. Preheating the oven for pizza might go over well.

Before she could make it there, the doorbell rang. The chimes echoed through the foyer. It was another example of the formal nature of the large mansion that didn't fit the adult frat boy resident.

Looking around, no one else was near, so she opened the door. The wind took hold of the wood, stealing it from her grasp, striking the doorstop with a loud bang.

At the same moment, the lights went out. Quickly Caroline saw the outline of a man before everything went black. His features were hidden, but her heart stopped. Rain and wind poured inside, practically blinding her. Everything was being whipped by the wind behind him, yet he was unmoving.

When the lights flicked back on, she saw his face.


	2. 2

As her eyes adjusted to the lights coming back on and as the wind swept into her face, Caroline saw one of the best looking men she’d ever laid eyes on. 

 

Dark jeans encased his legs. The black North Face jacket was pressed to his body by the hurricane. Lean and taller than her by three or four inches even with her heels, his posture was erect despite the rain driving into him and wind buffeting him.

 

Stubble covered the lower half of his face. His hair blew around. It looked thick and soft, the color caramel. The porch light made his cheekbones appear sharp and dangerous. Also sharp were his eyes, glinting from the shadows. The color couldn’t be discerned. His gaze scorched hers and her hand crept to her throat unbidden, breath caught.

 

Unconsciously she’d pointed out her own jugular to a man who reminded her of a big, bad wolf. 

 

Her sluggish pulse was loud to her own ears, competing with the creaking woods and whistling wind. 

 

Smoothing loose tendrils of hair trying to block her vision back behind her ears in vain, her mind was blank for only a moment longer.

 

His long fingers gripped the doorjamb, trying to reach in subtly as he leaned forward, disguising the action as an effort to evade the driving wind and rain. She noticed he couldn’t get past the jamb. He needed to be invited in.

 

The ominous stranger was a vampire.

 

Hands retreated behind his back when his efforts failed. The elegant move was supposed to make him look non-threatening. It failed. 

 

“Hello love, a bit windy out here. Get Tyler Lockwood, won’t you?”

 

The accent and endearment entranced Caroline and only when the snap of a branch reached her ears did she remember she was standing in the doorway of a stranger’s house in the middle of a hurricane.

 

“Caroline,” she offered up softly as a correction a moment later, the words quickly stolen by the wind.

 

“What?”

 

“My name's not ‘love,’ it’s Caroline.”

 

The stranger smirked and she was lost all over again when she saw the deep grooves in his cheeks. “Caroline…”

 

A blood curdling scream pierced the air. It took away from the unnerving pleasure she felt in the way he said her name. Both their heads turned.

 

Without a second thought, Caroline ran up the stairs, feet barely touching the carpeted treads.

 

The woman’s scream had come from up there.

 

Heads of partygoers peered out to see what the commotion was. 

 

“No one wants to hear your porn,” Damon Salvatore snarked, leaning against an open doorframe with a glass of something, maybe whiskey, in his hand. It didn’t appear to be his first of the day.

 

It wasn’t a scream of pleasure. It was a scream of tragedy.

 

The door to the finished basement opened. “What’s going on?”

 

No one answered because no one knew. 

 

Relying on her senses to lead her in the right direction, Caroline hadn’t been up to the second floor yet. The cream colored corridor was long and daunting. Not pausing, Caroline raced until she found the room at the end of the eastern hall.

 

The sweet smell brought her to a halt. Her gums tightened painfully and black veins that spoke of her death began to appear under her eyes, creeping down her cheeks. Fighting them back with astounding control, the classic, All-American version of her face was recovered. 

 

The forbidding master bedroom door was open.

 

Feeling a sense of dread matched by the violent storm pounding outside, Caroline gently pushed the thick door open even further, knowing there was no turning back.

 

Another scream.

 

Then another.

 

The tortured shrieks morphed into white noise as her eyes took in the terrible sight.

 

A chill-inducing crack rent the air followed by a thunderous boom as a large oak tree lining the driveway fell across it, trapping them inside and keeping any brave souls out. Caroline jumped instinctively. The other in the room screamed again at the sight in front of their eyes, oblivious to Mother Nature’s vicious demand for homage. 

 

The house no longer served as a sanctuary.

 

A pool of blood grew achingly slowly around the fallen body.

 

It was still viscous, not yet clotting. Bright red, it seeped from the form creating a sort of perverse halo on the hardwood floor.

 

There were no sounds gurgling from his lips spurring them to life saving actions. His eyes weren’t pleading for someone to do something. That time had passed. It would have been a miracle if he’d survived. There were no miracles for him that day. 

 

A wooden stake had been shoved deep into his heart.

 

He wasn’t a vampire to be turned into dust.

 

He had been flesh and blood.

 

Tyler Lockwood was dead.


	3. Chapter 3

With a shuddering breath, Caroline tiptoed forward and gently put her arm around the screaming Vicki Donovan. Her concerned blue eyes were locked on the body, keeping her boots clear of the vivid blood that had already been smeared on the hardwood floors.

The scent of blood was mixed with the acrid odor of something burning in the fireplace.

In addition to the sound of Mother Nature's rage outside, the shower in the master bathroom was running. Water smacked against porcelain. Warm humid air crept in from the open doorway.

Tyler's lifeless body was clad only in a navy blue towel wrapped around his waist.

"Call 911!" Vicki screamed, pushing Caroline away roughly. "Someone call 911!"

Matt Donovan came rushing in, followed by the vampire Caroline opened the door for.

"Call 911!" Vicki screamed again.

Matt opened his arms for his sister, holding her in a warm embrace. "He's gone." Struggling against his hold for a moment, Vicki collapsed into his arms as great sobs racked her body.

"Ty! Tyler! No," Jeremy Gilbert shouted, dropping to his knees at the sight in front of him. He had emerged from the basement game room at the commotion.

Crawling to the body, his clothes soaked up blood. His hands slipped in what formerly kept Tyler alive. Gently, Jeremy lifted Tyler's head onto his lap.

.

.

.

All roads led home.

Klaus Mikaelson was back in his birthplace, Mystic Falls, Virginia due to some sort of cosmic joke. Despite their incompetence in killing all vampires over the centuries, the Mystic Falls Council did end up with valuable artifacts. The Lockwoods in particular had something in their possession that would change the world. As agent of that change, Klaus came to get what was rightfully his.

Tyler Lockwood, spoiled orphaned son, holding a party as he arrived in town was not a problem. Underlings watching the house kept him abreast of the situation. Hurricane Claudette kept Tyler right where he wanted him.

However, the murder of Tyler Lockwood was a problem.

If an unknown third party killed Tyler to obtain the moonstone, Klaus would have to start from scratch. That kind of rebellion would not stand and put him in a bit of a mood.

Staking Tyler appeared to be an act of passion, not the result of cold blooded, rational strategy. He himself would have ripped Tyler's head off. His brother would have ripped his heart out. His sister would have bled him dry. Tyler's death pointed to the supernatural. Presumably a human would use a knife to slash at his throat, chest, or arms, not stake him in the heart.

Regardless, a stake to the heart wouldn't do much more than annoy Klaus and he wasn't leaving until he got what he came for.

Covertly he texted a message to his brother Elijah. Satisfied, he gave his attention to those in the room. He formed quick conclusions.

Of the four, three were human. Their hearts were doing a merry dance inspired by the shock and horror of Tyler's murder. The fourth had a much slower heartbeat.

The brunette screeching woman was a mess. She clung to the man next to her. Klaus thought her terror had more to do with losing her drug supplier than anything else. The panicked bloodshot eyes and faint track marks were obvious clues. Her bevy of bracelets didn't do enough to hide bruises on her wrists. Under her jawline there were pale dots. A vampire had been there and left scars.

The two men were divided. One was comforter and one needed comforting. The older blond man had broad shoulders for the woman to cling to. His blue eyes didn't leave Tyler's face while he held her. There was something military or law enforcement-like about his upright bearing. The younger dark haired one on the floor cradled Tyler's head. He was completely unaware of those around him. Tenderness in his touch revealed the affection the boy held for Tyler.

Finally and never possibly the least was the stunning blonde who greeted him at the door. She was worth time and attention. It would be part of his investigation. If he wasn't mistaken, she was the possessor of the slower heartbeat. Sidling infinitesimally closer to her, he confirmed his suspicions. The blonde was a vampire.

Before he could do more than admire her startling beauty and identify her supernatural status, a trio of newcomers joined them. It had only been a minute since he himself raced up the stairs.

Violent wind gusts buffeted the windows, reminding them of the storm's relentless pressure.

In order to observe them, Klaus discreetly made his way to the blonde's side.

"Oh my god," Elena Gilbert cried in anguish. Her delicate hand covered her mouth in shock at the scene. "Is he?"

"Yup. Dead," Damon Salvatore intoned casually, blackened veins discreetly showing under his eyes before he powered them away.

Vicki's sobs intensified at his callous tone.

Damon's brother wasn't as casually accepting of the scene. Stefan Salvatore's menacing vampire features came on swiftly. He was drawn to blood like a moth to a flame. Tracks like hot tar poured down his cheeks. His skin tightened and thinned. Wan pallor paled further. Brown eyes became darker and reddened. Vicious fangs emerged from between his lips.

In an attempt to hide, Stefan reeled Elena in for a hug. Her hair was wet and didn't provide as much cover as he wished for as he regained composure.

.

.

.

As soon as the latest pretty brunette with her male retinue walked into the room, Caroline felt the surge of energy flow through the handsome vampire to her left. Miffed despite everything, Caroline crossed her arms over her chest.

.

.

.

Fate was smiling on him.

Not only would Klaus retrieve the moonstone, but Katherine Pierce as well. Her death would be glorious. Anticipation thrummed through him.

Hands clasped behind his back, Klaus let out a cough.

There was no hint of fear in her brown eyes. There was no recognition either. Katherine was an excellent actress, but there was something more.

Confused, an emotion he loathed, Klaus cocked his head to the side. He studied her even more closely. Her eyes widened at his unexpected and undivided attention. She hadn't reacted to Tyler's blood. Her skin looked more flushed than her two companions. Concentrating hard, he heard it. There was a new human heartbeat joining the symphony of others.

She was not Katherine Pierce.

Providence was shining on him.

The day was becoming even more delightful.

"Seriously?" Caroline muttered under her breath at the beautiful, dimpled smile the stranger graced on the other woman. There was a dead body and he was flirting.

Amused at the pretty blonde's remark, Klaus leaned towards Caroline, whispering as Elena joined Jeremy on the floor, "Sorry, love. She looks exactly like someone I used to know." Deciding to reveal he knew her own secret, "The sight of blood does something to me."

"Settle down, Romeo," she hissed.

His devilish smirk somehow emphasized his angelic countenance.

"What's that smell?" Stefan asked, head lifting to look around.

"Something in the fireplace," Matt answered. The dark smoke was dissipating.

"We need to call the police," Caroline said loudly, picking her phone out of her back pocket. She was willing to make the call. When she looked at the screen, there was an unread text message. Bonnie made it home. It was a relief that Bonnie was safe, but Caroline wasn't so sure she was.

There was a killer on the loose. Tyler didn't accidentally trip and fall on a wooden stake. He'd been murdered.

The sad truth was the only one Caroline felt safe around was the mystery vampire. He couldn't get inside the mansion until after Tyler died. She saw it for herself. Therefore, his alibi was the only one she trusted.

"I'll call it in," Matt said, propping his sister up so he could reach his phone.

The lingo was familiar enough that Caroline put her phone away. "Are you a policeman?" she asked hopefully.

"Not quite," Damon snarked, leaning back against the doorframe. Feet crossed at the ankles, his tall frame was clad in dark jeans and a maroon shirt. He looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. "He's still using training wheels. Do you even get a taser?"

Matt ignored the remarks and looked at Caroline as he unlocked his phone. "I'm in the police academy."

"You did this!" Jeremy screamed, setting Tyler's head down. He ran at Damon.

Everyone was taken aback by his outburst.

Quickly Stefan stepped between the two men.

"Jeremy," Elena cried, trying to grab his arm.

"I know it was you," Jeremy spat, enraged and covered in Tyler's blood. Since Damon didn't do more than stand up straight, Jeremy got even more upset. Freeing his arm nearest Elena, he pointed a bloody finger at Damon. "I'll get you for this." Shrugging off both Stefan and his sister, Jeremy ran from the room.

Outside, another tree fell. The resounding crash sent them jumping.

"Wait," Caroline said quickly. She stepped forward and put her hand on Matt's. A welcome thought had come to her. Her voice was soft when she spoke. "What if he's in transition?"

The question stunned the room.

"Transition?" Vicki asked, wiping a hand under each eye. Mascara was smeared all over. She was the picture of tragedy.

"You know," Caroline told her, still softly, hand out, "if he turns." With her eyes, Caroline tried to explain it. There was no connection made by Vicki though. "Into a vampire."

"A vampire?" Vicki gasped.

"Give it a rest, Vicks. Blondie here has a point. Maybe Ty-Ty will pop back up good as new."

Damon's words had them all looking at the body on the floor. Neither Matt, Vicki, nor Elena pretended they didn't know vampires existed. They were a factor in their Mystic Falls lives.

Matt slipped his phone away, agreeing they shouldn't call the police just then. He also rationalized that calling an officer out in the hurricane was an unnecessary risk.

With a pointed look Damon asked Caroline, "How do you know about vampires?" She was a stranger none of them had ever heard of before. Allegedly she was friends with the absent Bonnie Bennett.

"I read Twilight and I bet you sparkle in the sun."

Klaus' grin was absolutely delighted.

Crossing her arms over her chest again, Caroline stared them all down less the man behind her. While she second guessed calling the police for the moment and hoped Tyler would gasp for breath in minutes, there was still a problem to be solved. No one else appeared willing to solve it. "Who staked him?"

No one said a word.

"Ok," Caroline started, "is this…"

"Barbie," Damon interrupted snidely.

"Caroline," a male voice called out.

Heads turned.

"What?"

"Her name is Caroline," Klaus explained, earning a smile from the woman herself.

"Caroline," Damon drawled in faux politesse, "what makes you think you can solve this or that you should?" He was on a roll. "Why don't you and your boy toy find a room and leave this to the big boys?"

Caroline looked at Klaus when she heard the boy toy line. Frankly, she could do a lot worse than the best looking guy she'd seen outside television and movies.

"We didn't have any trouble," Damon continued, sauntering towards them, "until you two showed up."

Their matching eye rolls were impressive.

There was also a part of Caroline that thought Damon was right. Maybe she should leave Mystic Falls drama to the Mystic Falls people. She was only there until the roads were drivable and she could escape. She wasn't a sheriff like her mom. She wasn't in the police academy like Matt. Marathoning crime shows on Netflix wouldn't serve her in the real world.

On the other hand, she wasn't going to stay in a house where there was an unidentified murderer on the loose. Especially a murderer with a penchant for wooden stakes. If she could identify him or her, she could do something to ensure her safety. "I can't leave right now, so yes, I'm going to figure this out," she vowed. The look on Damon's face was one she'd seen often in her life. The ire rose up and it prompted her to continue, "Whenever anyone says I can't do something, I prove them wrong."

"While anyone would be lucky to be Caroline's boy toy," Klaus jumped in with a smirk that made her grin and look down, "we just met a moment ago." Stepping forward, he kept them all in front of him. The straining windows were at his back. Tyler's inert body was on the floor to his left. "My name is Klaus Mikaelson."

Right on cue the house shuddered. Branches snapped. Shutters slapped the house. Flying debris flashed past the windows.

"The Klaus Mikaelson?" Stefan asked, reaching for Elena's hand.

The name got more of a reaction from Damon than Jeremy's murderous accusations. He pushed himself in front of Elena. "The Original Klaus Mikaelson?"

The humans watched the conversation flow between the two sets of vampires. There was Stefan and Damon with Elena near the door. Closer to the fireplace, Caroline and Klaus stood. In the middle, Matt and Vicki held each other.

"So you have heard of me, excellent," Klaus taunted with a roll of his eyes in a sing-song voice. "I wasn't sure how quickly news and rumors spread here."

"Why are you here?" Matt questioned him, unsure what the Salvatores knew, but picking up on the heightened tension.

"The newly departed had something of mine."

"And you came in a hurricane?" Caroline asked critically.

A shrug was his answer.

"What does Tyler have?" Vicki asked, still using the present tense.

"A bauble," the Original answered, watching their eyes. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

The words were not comforting. Nor were his next ones.

One long finger rose into the air. "I believe Caroline asked a question. Who staked Tyler Lockwood?"


End file.
